Probing Sausages for temp checking question

[dougmays]

I've been reading up on alot of posts about making sausage, peperoni, hot dogs, etc....and alot of the posts talking about the internal temp of the meat. Now i'm very familiar with probing meats and checking temps but when casings are involved i'm lost...and i dont think i've actually seen one post with the prob in the picture

When you prob the meat in the casing to monitor temp...is it a simple as sticking a prob the sausage? do you probe at the tip (for aesthetic reasons)? do you prob anywhere such as the side? Does meat and/or juice leak out? does this ruin the integrity of the meat/casing?

Does the IT temp of one link mirror the temp of the others? or should multiple links be probed?

might be a dumb question/post but i'm really curious

 

[fagesbp]

I try to stick them from the end for aesthetics as you said. If juice runs out when you stick it, you probably have them too hot. When I smoke sausage I smoke very low, like 170* max and pull when IT is about 152. At that temp the fat is still solid and shouldn't run out. Maybe the water will come out if there's alot but I have never had any kind of juice come out. I stick a few when I check. I'm never able to really notice the hole from the probe after they're done.

 

[boykjo]

For larger smokers like mine temps will be different through out.. I found larger batches of sausage packed in the smoker will cause uneven temps. I used to do 60 lbs at a time and now have lowered it to 30 lb batches to get better smoke/flavor and even temps. I usually probe the farthest away from the heat source and leave it there. I take the sausage to 160 to be sure all of it has reached 154. When the sausage has reached 160, I will probe every other sausage right before pulling to be sure everything is good.... I wouldn't worry about the holes made or juices running out unless you were hot smoking. When smoking at lower temps you should not have any fat out..

Joe
 

 

[dougmays]

awesome thanks guys!

Side question unrelated to probing...i've seen some people say take them to 150-160 IT and they are done, and other take them to 125-150 and then hot water bathe till 160 IT....is there a difference? i assume water bath is quicker and doesn't dry them out? do certain types of "tubbed meats" need to be done different ways?

 

[woodcutter]

Hot water bath brings the temp up faster than the smoker and everything comes out consistent and the exact temp you want. It does cut down on time in the smoke if you are smoking with a mellow wood you may want the extra smoke.
 

 

[diggingdogfarm]

I don't like to finish in the smoker because of the likelihood of uneven temps. I typically cold smoke and the finish by 'steaming' in a pan in a 160-165 degree oven to no more than 152 degrees IT. Temp probe in the end of one sausage.


~Martin

 

[boykjo]

I only do a finish poach for hot dogs. It does give the hot dog a plumper finished look and it makes for a more tender snap when you bite into the hot dog when using natural casings.

I fan dry the hot dogs so the smoke will attach. Cold smoke with no heat for about 3 good hrs while they warm to ambient temp. Then I start at 140 with smoke through out  the cooking and bump up 10 degrees every hr till the IT of the hot dogs get to around 135-140 degrees. I then remove them and place them into  180 degree water and poach them till they hit 160 IT. then straight into a cold water bath to cool and then hang to bloom....

 

[dougmays]

ok last question...i see "bloom" alot....i know that means to hang them at about 100 degrees. but what "blooms"? Sorry i'm making my own sausage basics post here :)
 

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Blooming has come to mean different things to different people, but the generally accepted definition of blooming is the hanging of sausages so that they'll take on a richer, darker and more attractive color. So, in short, the color "blooms".



~Martin

 

[dougmays]

ahh gotcha! OK thanks!
 

 

[couger78]

Probe in place, perpendicular to the chub length....

Bolog_new_poach1_lg.jpg

• couger78
• Dec 25, 2012

Maverick (food probe, currently at 97°) in the background; Water-poaching temp is monitored with the dial thermometer (165° target) in the foreground...

Bolog_new_poach2_lg.jpg

• couger78
• Dec 25, 2012

 

[boykjo]

ok last question...i see "bloom" alot....i know that means to hang them at about 100 degrees. but what "blooms"? Sorry i'm making my own sausage basics post here :)
 

Blooming is nothing more than letting your sausage dry and "age" at room temperature for better color and presentation before you package it for storage. I hang in the fridge to bloom.